Learning for a clean future

Costa Rica still bears the scars of environmental damage in the form of the rainforest clearances that spilled over into the 1980s. Trees were felled en-mass in order to create meadows for vast herds of cattle. The policy has now changed: Reforestation efforts are underway and ecological tourism is viewed as a money-spinner. Not everything marked "organic" is treated in ways that lend themselves to the tag. But that will have to change, because Costa Rica has set its sights on being the first country in the world to become carbon neutral. Whether the South American nation can meet the ambitious challenge by its self-imposed target of 2021 will be decided by the Earth University Foundation. Its students test climate protecting energy creation, farming and waste management, and make their findings known.

Information

Length06:40 minutes

CountryGlobal

Global Ideas

The television reports and documentaries of Deutsche Welle's 'Global Ideas' media project provide people all over the world with information on model projects which implement biodiversity and climate protection. The media project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through the International Climate Initiative.